Beware the light at the end of the tunnel

Well, America ’murica’d again and while we all watched in dismay, 45 was too busy dragging toilet paper around behind him in public.

The Senate turned a questionable nominee into a Supreme Court Justice because a very old boy’s network felt it was a good time to remind women (again) that moral character and mental fitness for duty only matter when they say it does. White women with insatiable cravings for proximal power signaled, yet again, that they’ll do anything the white man says to keep their seat at the table even when it’s obvious they’ll never have a say as to what’s on the menu.

In the aftermath, people called for civility (because that totally works for marginalized folks) and wrote post-mortems ad nauseum on where “the left went wrong.” Conservative mothers cautioned against raising liberal daughters (thanks, Twitter, for the semi-permanent eye twitch) in order to protect sons who are not expected to respect boundaries. All this, while judges continue to hand out no-jail time sentences for rape and sexual assault because why ruin a man’s life?

Women are declared hysterical by men who feel attacked by talk of respect, boundaries, consent and a woman’s right to exist without suffering violence. The next thing we know, women may expect men to actually keep their hands to themselves and potential employers will want character references not written by frat brothers.

We are witnessing the desecration of every stage of governance and the intent is to deliberately weaken the foundations of our democratic republic one self-serving decision at a time. That light at the end of the tunnel is a speeding train and far too many folks are leaping on to the tracks like it’s the gateway to the Promised Land.

So, what are people to do?

It would be great if this were the part of the column where I segued into highlighting the better natures of men. You know, the song and dance full of examples of how the world’s better than before and we all just need to keep pushing forward and the trend will bend toward justice and light.

But I’m Black so I know that’s just propaganda intended to keep rage from turning to agitation and agitation from turning to corrective action. (Yes, I did hear Yoda say this in my head just now.)

The obvious answer is, of course, vote. Elections are the performance review no candidate, political operative or political party can ignore. It’s the one shout into the wilderness we know can be heard.

But we must cast that vote with purpose.

Regardless of where readers stand party-wise, we should be uncomfortable with what’s passing as governing lately. Why?

Well, let’s hit the highlights:

• In the past two years, corporations received astronomical federal tax cuts without any corresponding duty to pass the benefit of those savings on to workers.

• There’s rampant homelessness and a serious housing shortage (these things are not mutually exclusive, people), both worsened by gentrification that’s displacing middle/low income renters and existing homeowners out of their neighborhoods.

• Federal taxes that should be used to address healthcare, housing deficits, education-funding deficits and interstate infrastructure are being diverted to fund private interest bills and agendas driven by lobbyists.

• Adults are contracting childhood illnesses, and sexually transmitted infections are on the rise because politicians turned medical advancements and scientific study into “political issues,” throwing entire fields of study and their findings into doubt for millions.

And all of the above needed to be mentioned before I also mention that:

1. Access to drinkable water isn’t considered an inalienable right.

2. Access to education, housing, and a living wage, aren’t considered inalienable rights.

3. Accesses to equitable treatment under the law and within the criminal justice system aren’t inalienable rights for non-whites.

4. Exercising control over our own bodies isn’t considered an inalienable right for women.

5. Prisons are profit centers built on the backs of slaves and exist to subjugate non-whites and the poor.

6. Those serving in the military, often in harm’s way abroad, will come home to find their families living in poverty. They’ll also have no uniform transition to civilian employment and inadequate mental health assistance.

7. Wealth is only a positive character attribute if it’s generational and respectably in the hands of conservative/traditional white men.

Plenty of city/state/federal officials ran on platforms promising to address many of these issues. Yet, many of them punted when the time came to create viable and multi-level solutions. If we can be fired from our jobs for failure to meet performance metrics, then so can public servants.

Did our state legislators work with or fight the Governor? Why? Did the mayor of our city focus on the issues hurting residents? Why not? What did our Congresspeople and/or Senators do with their terms? Who did they hurt and will that ultimately hurt us? Does a candidate just make us feel comfortable or will they actually serve our needs (and not just our wants) if we give them the job?

Here’s a history reminder: In the United States, no substantively beneficial changes (for the marginalized, poor, or working class) have ever come by asking politely. So before we fall for any party line (again), we should try asking ourselves: better forwhom?

Otherwise, heaven help us when the day comes where performative activism truly stops being enough.